07 March 2016

2016 SEC Tournament Predictions

The 2016 SEC Tournament kicks off on Thursday evening, and it is the second straight year it will be hosted by the great city of Nashville, Tennessee. The conference has been down a little bit this season, even more so than usual, largely due to the fact that Kentucky was not as good this year as they have been the last several years under my good friend, John Calipari. In fact, they're not even the top seed in the tournament as it instead is Texas A&M.

Quarterfinals - Friday, March 11th
1 Texas A&M vs. 9 Arkansas - SECN, 1:00
Look for the Hogs to make this much closer than the Aggies would like. They did beat them earlier this year, mind you.
Pick: Texas A&M

4 LSU vs. 5 Vanderbilt - SECN, 3:30As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, LSU is very much on the wrong side of the NCAA bubble right now. They'll need to win a couple of games at least if they want a shot. But with how they closed the regular season, I just don't see it.
Pick: Vanderbilt

2 Kentucky vs. 10 Alabama - SECN, 7:00
Avery Johnson has done some nice things in Tuscaloosa this year but he just doesn't have the horses to pull this off.
Pick: Kentucky

3 South Carolina vs. 6 Georgia - SECN, 9:30
They may not be in yet but Frank Martin has done quite a good in Columbia. Even though they did lose to Georgia at home on Thursday, I like them here.
Pick: South Carolina

Semifinals - Saturday, March 12th
1 Texas A&M vs. 5 Vanderbilt - ESPN, 1:00
The Commodores smoked the Aggies a month ago at home but then lost in College Station in the regular season finale. With the home crowd likely in their favor, I like Vandy.
Pick: Vanderbilt

2 Kentucky vs. 3 South Carolina - ESPN, 3:30
UK smacked the Gamecocks hard a month ago in Columbia and that probably does not bode well for an upset. And yet, I'm feeling it anyways.
Pick: South Carolina

Championship - Sunday, March 13th
3 South Carolina vs. 5 Vanderbilt - ESPN, 1:00
These two have only played once this season, a close win for SC at home. But that was when Vanderbilt was struggling but they have looked very good down the stretch. I like them winning the conference tournament on Sunday.
Pick: Vanderbilt